Za'Darius Smith enters Browns OTAs with new haircut, but same high goals for performance

BEREA — Za'Darius Smith showed up to the Browns' offseason team activities looking like a different man. That's what a haircut can do for someone, even a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

Smith had boasted luscious dreadlocks that flowed from his head. Those dreadlocks, however, were not to be found when he arrived Tuesday for the first of the Browns' 10 OTAs.

"Just woke up one morning and thought I was ready for a change," Smith said after Wednesday's second OTA. "I said that now that I'm 30, I want to go with a new look. I've been talking to my parents, my mom and my kids and they all was agreeing with me. So I'm glad I did it. I look better, I look younger, I look slimmer, so I'm happy about it."

Smith sported a neatly cropped haircut as he spoke to the media on Wednesday. It was a far cry from the flowing dreadlocks that had been a staple for him long before even the Baltimore Ravens made him a fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Kentucky in 2015.

By the time the Browns initially acquired Smith from the Minnesota Vikings last May, those dreadlocks were synonymous with him. However, after re-signing with the team this offseason, he decided to go with the "new year, new look" approach.

Just how was the look received by Smith's teammates?

"Oh, man, they didn't know who I was, but a lot of people had jokes, but it's all love, man," Smith said. "Like I said, this is the brotherhood. You can come in how you want to and be yourself here, so just happy to do that, man, and just excited about the new haircut."

Smith's teammates, and the Browns as an organization, don't care what the hairdo looks like as long as he continues to produce for the defense. That's even after his first year in Cleveland ended with numbers that weren't quite up to the recent standards he had set when healthy with the Vikings and, before that, Green Bay Packers.

Despite having eventual Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett opposite him, Smith finished with 5.5 sacks, the lowest sack total for him since 2017, his third year in the league. Many of Smith's other pressure numbers were among the best of his career, including 15 quarterback hits and 40 hurries.

Smith was an unrestricted free agent after last season. Despite offers from, according to him, the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders, among others, he quickly agreed to a new deal with the Browns hours into the negotiation period in mid-March.

"The culture, the chemistry with this team, everything," Smith said. "The brotherhood, the team camaraderie. I had chances to go other places, but I felt like I didn't want that, man. I felt like we didn't get to where we wanted to last year and we got something that we need to finish here, and hopefully we can get that done this year."

The Browns finished No. 1 overall in total defense during last year's regular season. That disappeared in a blaze of Houston Texans points and yards in an AFC wild card loss.

However, Smith was among several Browns defensive free agents who re-upped with the team during free agency. That includes fellow defensive linemen Maurice Hurst Jr. and Shelby Harris.

The Browns essentially return nine of 11 starters from last year on defense, with only linebackers Anthony Walker Jr. and Sione Takitaki departing via free agency. Just as important, to Smith especially, is the return of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for his second year in that position.

"More time, man," Smith said. "Like I said, going into year two now under Schwartz's defense, everybody can now get a little more comfortable. For myself, coming from a 3-4 system, I was always a guy who had to stand up. So just being down in the three-point now, not really looking at formations was something new for me.

"But now I'm starting to get the hang of it, man. And as you can see this year, you'll see a better Z, I can tell you that much."

Even if that "better Z" has less hair on his head.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Za'Darius Smith goes with new hairdo as he looks to build with Browns